Palestinian Journalist hit by rubber bullet during violent clash, Israel investigating

Jerusalem [Israel], June 9 (ANI/TPS): The Israel Defense Forces confirmed that it is investigating the circumstances of a Palestinian journalist being hit by a rubber bullet during a clash in Ramallah on Thursday.

The statement did not refer to the journalist by name, but Palestinian media reports said photojournalist Muamen Samrin was hospitalized after being hit in the head.

Samrin was covering the demolition of the home of Eslam Froukh, who was responsible for a pair of bombings at Jerusalem bus stops in November 2022. Killed in the bombings were Tedsa Teshuma, a 50-year-old Ethiopian immigrant, and Aryeh Shechopak, a 16-year-old Canadian-Israeli yeshiva student. Another 20 people were injured.

Violent clashes broke out as soldiers arrived to demolish the home. Palestinians threw stones, Molotov cocktails and explosives and soldiers responded with dispersal measures including live fire, the IDF statement said.

"From a preliminary investigation, it appears that a Palestinian photojournalist who was in the area of violent disorder and mobs was injured, apparently by a rubber bullet. The circumstances of the case are under review," the IDF added.

Palestinian reports said that another journalist, identified as Rabi' al-Munayyer, was injured in a separate incident in Ramallah on Wednesday night. Reports said he was hit in the abdomen by a bullet.

The IDF statement did not refer to a Wednesday night incident.

In May, the IDF apologized for the death of Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who was killed while covering an Israeli counter-terror operation in Jenin in 2022.

Forensic tests of the bullet that killed her were inconclusive on whether it was fired by Israelis or Palestinians. But Palestinians have claimed that Abu Akleh, who worked for Al Jazeera and had US citizenship, was deliberately killed by IDF fire. Israel denies it deliberately fired at her.

On Monday, US Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland) called on the State Department to declassify a report on Abu Akleh's death prepared by General Michael Fenzel. (ANI/TPS)

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